Wind Me Up, Baby
by SingsWithWords
Summary: While on the hunt for the perfect gift to give her new sister, Sakura finds herself tangled in the affairs of enigmatic doll maker, Akasuna no Sasori. She is quick to discover that he is a very shy, difficult person around her, not that she minded. It only meant that Sakura could be just as annoying right back.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: We are happy to present you with the first chapter of a project we've been working for the past few months, alongside "A Parting of Ways" and "We Gather Our Ashes", which is partially responsible for why we've been so slow to update.

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto.

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In Which A Business Transaction Almost Occurs

One day in the near future, Sakura was going to kill Ino Yamanaka.

Pulling her car into a trash-infested parking lot in a seedier part of Konoha District, the pink haired girl looked up at the flickering McDonalds sign. Its giant M loomed over the entire establishment, and for the tenth time that day Sakura questioned herself on why, oh why, was she taking the word of her best girl friend as something legit. The last time she listened to a recommendation from Ino, her night ended in a Motel 6 room with a homeless man living in the bath tub.

But Sakura was desperate. She and her mother had yet to find the perfect present for the new addition to their tiny family, a little girl of seven years named Mebuki, and they were running out of time. The adoption papers would be approved soon and her new sister could arrive any time. Sakura wanted her to feel loved and welcomed, so a very creative gift was required. Only problem was that she didn't have a creative bone in her body.

"Oooh, don't worry forehead! I know the perfect gift you could get her!" Ino had said excitedly to her over coffee, which should have been the first sign for the pink haired girl to get the hell out of there. But no. As previously explained, she was desperate.

" ... Go on," Sakura had reluctantly urged Ino to explain further.

"You've heard of Sasori, right?"

She nodded slowly, not sure where this conversation was going. "Yeah. Itachi's friend, right? I'v heard of him a few times, but I never actually seen him at Itachi and Sasuke's place."

"Apparently he doesn't get out as often as the rest of their gang does or something," Ino responded offhandedly. "That's not important though, what_ is_ important is that he's your guy."

Sakura blinked. "I'm not following."

Grinning, she clarified, "He makes toys. Well, dolls more specifically. I've never seen any of them, but Itachi said he was really amazing. They're expensive too, so that's how you know they're good."

"A doll," Sakura mused thoughtfully. Little girls liked dolls, and since this would be hand-crafted it would be special. "Alright, I'll bite, even if this sounds too good to be true. Have you ever seen him before?"

"No, but I can imagine him being very good looking. His name just makes him sound hot, doesn't it?" The blonde asked dreamily. "Sa-so-ri. Go on, say it."

Smiling, Sakura too sounded out his name. "Sasori." His name rolled off her tongue pleasantly, and she couldn't help but imagine a very handsome man owning it. "You're right. I hope I'm not disappointed when I meet him. Where can I reach him at, anyway?"

"Oh, probably his job. He works a lot."

"And where might that be?"

"I think he works at the McDonalds down by 5th and Gerard. Or is that 6th? Meh, I'm sure you can find it, forehead!"

And that was how Sakura Haruno found herself outside this shit-hole of a chain restaurant.

Latching hold of her determination, Sakura straightened her back and strode confidently into the fast food joint, head held high as she made her way directly to the cash register.

"May I take your order?" a rather lackluster employee asked, his tone reeking of boredom.

"Um, no actually, I was just looking for someone-"

"We're not a coffee shop, if you're sitting you're ordering."

"Oh ... um ... well ... " There went her confidence.

Fifteen minutes later Sakura found herself sitting at the booth nearest to the door (good to always be able to make a hasty exit if need be, after all this was a rather sketchy place), sucking uncomfortably at her shamrock shake and trying to look like she had every right to be there. She had a vague feeling that she was failing miserably, and eventually gave over to her nervousness and tried to make herself less obtrusively...colorful, really, because she was wearing her best business clothes for this meeting and she stood out considerably from 'the usual crowd' that was continually entering and exiting the establishment.

Otherwise, the restaurant was relatively empty. Eventually a mother took her squalling child under her arm and marched out of the restaurant, leaving her completely alone save for the cashier and a middle-aged, morbidly obese man who stood at the counter, waiting for his order to be filled with great anticipation. Eventually he moved and took a seat just adjacent to where the happy family had been, and dug into his triple-bypass burger with gusto.

Sakura sucked harder at her shamrock shake, the gargling sound her straw made as it failed to transfer the sweet minty goodness past her lips making her shrink into her seat just a bit more.

The hair on the back of her neck prickled slightly, as if she could feel another's eyes upon her, scrutinizing. Craning her head back ever so slightly, she had the fortune of having direct eye contact with the grouchy cashier. He continued to stare at her with flat umber eyes, very aware that she was also looking his way and not seeming to care one bit. It freaked Sakura out a little. Did she have something on her face? Was he just weird? When he refused to quit looking in her direction she turned back and took a very tentative sip of her shake. Hopefully that man staring creepily at her was only doing so because of her hair. Either way, this was going down-hill fast. She could already see a Motel 6 looming in her future unless she did something.

Scooting her way out of the booth, she marched right up to that very rude cashier. To her surprised, her forwardness caused him to lean back a little, his eyes wide now with apprehension. Odd. Oh well, he was rude to her first!

"Okay! I bought something, and I guess I should have asked this a while ago instead of being scared, not that I was scared! But you get my point." Sakura ranted, eyes hard and angry and dammit, she just wanted to talk to this guy and leave. "Now, Mr. This Is Not A Coffee Shop, I want to know if a man named Sasori is working here and if not, when he will _be_ here. I did not drive for a half hour and waste precious gas money for diddly squat!"

The red headed man took a visible gulp, wide eyed and shocked at her outburst. Well, she probably went a little over board. Sakura tended to do that sometimes.

Instead of a verbal answer (the man still looked a tad overwhelmed by all of her), he made a hesitant gesture towards his name tag. Confused, Sakura leaned forward to get a closer look.

_Sasori Akasuna_, it read.

" ... Oh," the now thoroughly embarrassed girl said pathetically.

The man, Sasori apparently, seemed to calm himself a bit from his previous state of shock and nodded stiffly. "Yes ... oh."

"Hello," she replied lamely. "Um, I'm Sakura?"

"That's nice," Sasori said, levelling a hazy stare at her, "What do you want?"

"I ... well ... um ... " To her consternation, Sasori began tapping a loose rhythm on the counter-top, not quite meeting her gaze as he waited for her response.

Her eyes narrowed, and she only just managed to hold back the nastiest glare in her arsenal, because she _needed_ that gift for her little sister, dammit! "I have a friend named Ino who said she knew you made dolls and such ... "

His eyes widened considerably and he leaned forward over the counter, inches away from her for a split moment as he stated, "You're looking to commission me."

"Yes, actually," Sakura responded, leaning back in the opposite direction. Sasori seemed to realize his sudden proximity was making her uncomfortable, then glanced up to an old, battered clock on the wall. "If you wait for a few minutes, my shift will be over soon." Sakura nodded awkwardly and returned to her booth to finish her milkshake. Not long after, Sasori turned from the counter and called incomprehensibly into the kitchen.

Vaguely from the back she heard another man respond, and Sasori disappeared for a moment to the back, returning seconds later minus one apron and with a ratty gray hoodie half-shrugged over one shoulder, a messenger bag slung over the other.

"What now?" Sakura asked curiously, abandoning her finished shamrock shake as he walked out from behind the counter. Sasori didn't give a verbal response. Sakura followed him out of the building, vaguely wondering where they were going to be able to discuss their arrangements and, here she thought rather guiltily, if it was going to be clean. Not that she thought that this man was particularly dirty or anything but, well...the homeless man did leave a lasting impression. Still, it wasn't fair to judge so quickly, even if he did work at a less-than-stellar establishment, so Sakura followed Sasori without a peep as he lead her out of the McDonalds entrance and down the street.

"Where are we going?" The curious girl asked after a minute, unable to keep on following without peeping.

Sasori glanced back at her as if just remembering she was present, then said, "Oh." He fell silent as they walked side by side, before asking, "You hungry?"

"Hungry?"

"Yeah. There's a diner around the corner that serves breakfast for a couple bucks and it's a lot better than the shit Micky D's sells."

As he said this, Sakura noticed that he was still slightly red. He spoke very seriously, at least when he wasn't being harassed by pink haired girls, but he never looked at her directly in the eyes. She was beginning to think that she left a horrible impression on Sasori. That, or he was incredibly shy or something. But that couldn't be it.

"Sure. I don't mind having breakfast," she responded lightly as they stopped at the light, even though it was well past dinnertime. "It'll be a lot more relaxed discussing my commission over food. I'm starved, too."

Sasori nodded absently and continued to lead her to the diner which happened to be across the street. The large, flickering sign read 'The Dining Car'. The bright colors and cart-like building was very reminiscent of a 1950's joint. All kinds of delicious smells wafted from the diner and instantly Sakura perked up.

"I smell pancakes! I could kill for some right now." Before the doll maker could protest, she dragged him by the arm and hurried them both to the entrance with minimal effort, not that he didn't try to protest.

"Are you five? There's no need to rush," Sasori growled as he attempted to extricate his arm from her grip. Sakura was having none of it, and half-dragged him into the diner that he had directed them to. Moments later they found themselves ushered into a secluded booth in a back corner of the restaurant.

As the waitress set a menu before Sakura, she glanced to Sasori with a small smile. "The usual?" He nodded in response, and she turned her smile upon Sakura. "I'll come back for your order in a few minutes, dear. Would you like anything to drink?"

"Water's fine," Sakura responded, glancing to Sasori who was, again, not looking at her but absently flipping through the songs at the small jukebox above their table.

"You come here often then, I'm guessing, since you have 'a usual'," Sakura teased, resting her chin in her hand as she watched him.

"Mmhm."

"So, shall we get to discussing this then, now that we've changed locations?"

" ... Yes, of course," Sasori said, reaching into his bag and pulling out a small notepad. "What exactly are you looking for?"

"Well, I'm looking for a gift for my little sister."

"How old is she?"

"She's seven, why do you ask?"

"A little girl is likely to want a doll she can play with rather than one that will sit on a stand, untouched. An older one may prefer a porcelain doll to a wood-jointed doll or marionette."

"I never really gave it that much thought, to be honest. You're right though, a doll she could play with would be best. Little girls like to play with dolls," Sakura said, though it wasn't with much conviction. What if Mebuki was a total tom boy?

Sasori quirked an eyebrow at her tone, but didn't comment. The waitress arrived with their drinks and placed the coffee mug and glass of water in front of Sasori and Sakura respectively. They gave their thanks and nursed their drinks for a while as Sakura looked over the menu. The waitress returned shortly after, a cheery smile on her face despite the late hours.

"Can I take your order, sweetie?" she asked Sakura.

"Banana pancakes, please?"

"Alright, be back with that in a jiff!" the waitress assured her, before making her way to the kitchen.

"If you never thought about it, does this mean you really have no idea what you want?" Sasori spoke up flatly. Hm, still wasn't looking at her. The jukebox couldn't have been that interesting. It certainly wasn't prettier than her!

"I'm not very creative, I figured if I talked it out with you we could come up with something," Sakura explained, her bottle-green eyes trained on him intently. She was making it a point to constantly stare him down until he finally looked at her. It would be all the more awkward if he stared at a wall the entire time. "That isn't a problem, is it?"

"No, I was just surprised, I suppose. Never mind. It just seems odd that if this is a gift for your little sister, and an expensive gift at that, then you'd have put a great deal of thought into it. You simply seem rather uncertain."

"It's not that I didn't put thought into it, I did. I just don't quite know what Mebuki would like. I don't even know if she likes dolls!" Sakura said in frustration, playing with her long pink locks in an age old habit that spoke of her apprehension. At his confused look, she explained, "I haven't met her yet. My mother adopted her, and the papers are only now going through and she'll be here within the month and I really want to get her something, and I want it to be special but I'm just unsure. A doll sounds perfect, so long as she's not one of those girls who likes getting dirty more then playing with girly toys like I was, I just don't really know what type of doll she would like and would totally appreciate your help for this." Finishing her long winded explanation, she took a large inhale of breath. It's been a while since she freaked like that.

He was staring now, blatantly, eyes wide, but it only lasted for a few seconds before he took a sip of his coffee and, neatly setting it down, said, "Okay."

"Just okay?"

Sasori nodded. "I make four types of dolls, and various different types of marionettes. Since I didn't know you were coming I can only describe them to you, but if we meet again in a day or two, I have a booklet with photos you can look through."

As he said this, the waitress returned and set a plate of eggs, bacon and a bagel before him before floating away to another table. He quickly set to cutting the fried eggs apart and slopping them onto the plain bagel, taking a hefty bite of the resulting mess. Not long after, the waitress returned with a plate of pancakes piled high with a large dollop of butter and white cream on top and chopped strawberries scattered over it. With a smile she set it before her, alongside a glass jar of syrup. "Enjoy," she said with that ever-present grin, "If you need anything just call for Mab, okay?" she added before returning to the kitchen.

Sakura hummed thoughtfully. "Right, well, describe away then, and I'll try to follow the best I can. I would prefer that we meet again though, only so I can see that booklet of yours and see exactly what I'm getting myself into." Before she could remind herself that this was a business relation and not one of her potential beaus, she gave him a flirty wink.

His reaction was instantaneous, and Sakura found it hard to be embarrassed by her actions when he gave such an amusing sputter, looking both confused and mortified.

Vaguely, she wondered if she should be offended. She was just being friendly, really. It wasn't something to take seriously, but it was probably better to make sure he didn't have a heart attack anyway. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he responded, his voice reedy and a bit strangled. "Right. Well," he said, poking absently at his plate with his fork, "I make a variety of different types of dolls, typically using wood, ceramics, or porcelain. They are all hand-carved and painted up to match the specifications of the commissioner. If requested I can shape them to look like a specific person. There are four different sizes, ranging from eight inches to two feet. The body is typically cotton-stuffed for porcelain dolls, but I can make it posable instead, although that's a rare request. Wood-carved come in two different forms, with the typicall doll limbs you would see on your average porcelain doll, or with ball-joints."

Sasori leaned forward over the table, hands clasped before him. "Are you following what I'm saying? I can slow it down a bit if necessary."

"Well, I don't really have experience with dolls very much ... I never really owned anything that wasn't store-bought, so ... "

"Not really?"

"Yeah," Sakura agreed awkwardly, blushing and busying herself with pouring a good amount of syrup over her pancakes and digging in.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, descending into silence for a minute as he thought. "Alright. Let's see if I can explain this to you." He proceeded to pull a wad of napkins from the dispenser, and unfolded one on the table.

Sakura watched, enraptured, as he pulled a pen out of his pocket and began scribbling lines and shapes on the make-shift drawing surface. 'Scribbling' probably wasn't the right word here, though, because only a minute into the quick drawing a humanoid figure was developed right before her eyes.

"Come over here, you're not going to be able to see it properly looking backwards," he instructed, motioning to the empty spot next to him. When she moved around the table to sit next to him, plate in hand, he slid away a bit, positioning the paper so she could see what he was drawing as he worked.

"This is the typical structure of a doll, right?" he asked, and she nodded at the simple human form he'd traced out on the paper. "A porcelain doll has a cloth torso. Usually, the porcelain pieces of it are sewn to that cloth base, which is stuffed with cotton or other filling. It makes for a believable figure that has a bit of give to it when held, but you can't really pose them very well and they don't stand on there own," he explained, drawing a few lines on the torso. "This whole bit would be made of cloth," he said, outlining the torso and part of the arms. "This works because a lot of the doll is covered with a pretty dress or other clothes that obscure it from view. You see the same sort of thing on your typical store-bought plastic baby doll, except they aren't stuffed quite as thickly so they're kind of floppy."

Sakura nodded, her gaze trained to his hand as he continued to point to different parts of the figure and explain how they could vary, depending upon the material. She never imagined that there could be so many different types of dolls, but then, she was only ever aquatinted with Barbie. She also never imagined that a person could have such lovely hands, either. The pink haired girl hummed lowly under her breath, simultaneously listening to the soft tenor of Sasori's voice while staring as long fingers continued to direct her focus on the drawn figure. His hands looked strong, but they moved with a grace that Sakura has rarely seen. She would rather have those hands roam over her than the pen, that much she _could _imagine.

"Are you listening?" He suddenly spoke sharply, breaking the girl out of her reverie. Not missing a beat, she gave him a bright smile.

"Yup," she acknowledged, cutting a large bite of her waffle and shoving it into her mouth, chewing and swallowing before she added, "The wooden dolls you described sound like something a little girl would be more comfortable with. Care to explain more about those?"

It was hard not to miss the suspicious look he gave her, nor the way he shifted an inch closer to the wall, but she was pleased that he continued on even after he obviously caught her staring. So she cheerfully ignored it in hopes he'd forget, and continued to demolish her breakfast as he explained.

"Okay then," Sasori began slowly, flitting a mistrustful look in her direction before his eyes returned to the napkin before him, "I make a few different sorts of wooden dolls. Those include ball-jointed and marionettes. As you know a marionette is moved by string and manipulated to do things like walk, or dance, and the like. A ball-jointed doll, however, is posable, and comes in a number of different forms depending on how much mobility you want."

"Look here," he continued, drawing a circle on the hips, knees, ankles, shoulders, and elbows of the human figure. "See all the different parts this divides the doll into? At each of these circles, there's a joint to allow for movement of the limbs. This is a basic ball-joint doll. But if you want more mobility, then you add in others here," he said, drawing a line partway up the torso, "and here." This was punctuated by a curved line across the doll's abdomen, and a tiny flick of the pen at either end to show that the shape of the doll changed to accommodate the ball as he drew a circle in the center of the torso. "All of these joints are attached with elastic or string, and the interior of the joints is rough enough that the doll will remain in whatever position you put it in. With modifications like this one, you can bend the torso in a lot of different directions, but another sort that's popular is this," he continued on, pulling out yet another napkin and hastily sketching a torso on it, drawing a line just below the doll's bust and a few other small touches. "Not quite as pose-able, but it allows for upper body movement and still keeps the shape of the torso, so it doesn't always have to remain hidden. If you want to get even more detailed than that, you can add joints on the fingers and toes, which takes a bit of extra work because that's some really small, careful stuff," he added, laying down his pen as he turned to face her.

Sakura couldn't help but feel awed at the raw intensity emanating from him. Everything about this man, from the way he spoke almost lovingly about the cold, hard mechanics of the dolls, to the way his hands flew across the napkin in gentle yet deft strokes, spoke of a burning passion that could only come with doing what one loved. She deeply respected anyone who could hold on to that kind of passion and translate it into what they do for a living. It was almost surprising though, how fast Sasori could go from looking as if a rain cloud hung over his head, eyes dull and tired, to this intense man who nearly made Ino seem lifeless. Just a moment ago he wouldn't even look at her. Now, his warm eyes held her gaze, daring her to look away.

_I am way more turned on than I should be_, Sakura thought, suddenly very conscious of their proximity.

Clearing her throat and willing herself not to blush, she said, "I think seeing some of your work will making it easier deciding what I want."

"Of course," Sasori agreed, a small smile twisting his lips. It was such a sweet, innocent thing, that smile, and it seemed so easily given compared to his hesitancy of moments before. "Like I said, I have a portfolio with photographs of my other works, and I could bring along one of my dolls if we meet another time. Do you have any idea of what sort of doll you'd like to commission, or would you prefer to decide next time?"

"I'm leaning more towards a wooden one, but I'll decide for sure the next time we meet up," Sakura said. She pushed her emptied plate away and wiggled out of the seat and returned to the other side of the booth in order to gather her payment for the food. "If you want, we can do this tomorrow? I have class at Konoha University, but after two I'm all finished for the day. Maybe we can meet up around there?"

"That's pretty quick," Sasori mentioned, crumpling up the napkin and tossing it to the side on the table.

"Does it not work for you?"

"No, no, it does," he refuted her quickly, "I'll gather up some photos of previous commissions of the same type that you can look through."

"Great," she chirped. Sakura couldn't believe that just yesterday she hadn't a clue what she was going to buy for her little sister. This man was a life saver, that was for sure. She supposed she had Ino to thank for the idea, though she was reluctant to let her best friend know that she actually offered decent advice. The blonde would only take that as an invitation to help her with anything and everything. The idea was a little frightening, so Sakura decided to push that thought to the back of her mind. Giving Sasori a sweet smile, she said, "Thank you for this, I was pulling my hair out for over a month over this present idea. Do you have a phone number or email I can have to keep in touch?"

He tapped his pen against his mouth for a moment, then grabbed another spare napkin, scrawling something in tall, loopy handwriting. "Here's my phone number. I don't have an email."

Her eyebrows furrowed at the idea of someone not having an email address, but then she remembered where he worked. Not everyone could afford a computer, she reminded herself critically. Choosing the smart route for once, she didn't comment out loud on the matter. Instead she took the proffered napkin with his number on it, and made sure to lightly touch his fingertips for good measure. It was hard to see, but that was most definitely a light blush dusting his cheeks. Sasori averted his amber eyes from her in annoyance, and with that small gesture, Sakura was suddenly very sure that this man was shy around her, at least when he wasn't discussing his art. She had to wonder if it was her specifically, or just people in general. "Working at a fast food restaurant with a ton of people coming in and out must be hell for you," she commented offhandedly, far too distracted by her thoughts to realize that she basically just spoke nonsense out loud.

"What?"

She dismissed his question with a wave of her hand. "Nothing, just thinking out loud. I do that a lot." Reaching into her bag, she withdrew her wallet. "I really appreciate what you're doing. It's such a relief that I don't have to go window-shopping in vain right now!" She placed a ten dollar bill and a few ones on the table before sliding out of her seat to stand. "It's time for me to go, in any case. So tomorrow?" Adjusting her bag over her shoulders, she peered down at Sasori, waiting for his reply.

"You said working with so many people coming in and out must be hell for me," he reiterated, giving her a sharp look, although he refrained from moving from his spot. "How'd you reach that conclusion?"

She shrugged, inwardly bemused at his sudden shift in behavior at the perceived slight. "I didn't mean anything insulting from it. It's just that you seem like a very shy person, so having to deal with so many customers must be a pain. Tomorrow?"

Sasori raised his eyebrows at her labeling him as 'shy', but nodded his head. "Two blocks down from Marton Street, right over by the University, there's a coffee shop. The entrance is through a side-street, more of an alleyway really, but it shouldn't be too hard tto find. Here," he said, taking the napkin back from her hand and beginning to sketch on it. "There's a sign hanging out in front of the alley that looks like this." Finishing with a click of his pen-cap, he pushed it toward her across the table.

Taking the hastily-made map, she stuffed it in her bag. "I'll call you before I leave then. Again, thank you so much for this. I really do appreciate it." Turning, she made her way to the diner exit, making sure to look over her shoulder and giving him her sweetest smile followed by a 'bye bye!' It was worth it just to see the alarmed expression on his face again before she walked out the door.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed it, because there's more where this came from!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So here it is, chapter two, and so soon after the first one was posted! I would also like to note that we are changing the rating of this story to **M****-rated.** Yes, that required bold lettering. This story has become a beast of its own, and we are totally okay with that, but as a result, the rating is being moved up to a more appropriate range.

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto.

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In Which The Ethics of Flirtation Are Debated

Sakura dug her heals into her mattress, arching her back until she heard a very satisfying '_crack-pop_' and collapsed back in her sheets, perfectly content to snuggle up to her body pillow for the rest of the morning. Peeking out from beneath her deep green comforter, she glanced at the digital clock atop her nightstand. It read 7:04 AM in blaring red, which meant that it was time for her to start her day. Grumbling, she buried herself further into the blanket, pulling it over her head for extra warmth. Her day could begin in five minutes, surely.

The pink haired woman closed her eyes, mentally ticking off the events on her to-do list, an ingrained habit of hers that helped to keep her hectic lifestyle organized. Her mother was home for once, so eating breakfast with her was a must. She had her microbiology lecture at 9:30 and an hour beforehand to brush up for it, which was good news considering she wasn't able to study as much as she wanted the night before. Normally after her class she would return home to relax for a short while, but...

A light blush crawled up her cheeks as she thought about her business at the coffee shop, and subsequently the strange doll maker who made her heart beat just a little too fast.

"Oh, Sakura," she admonished herself, "you are _such_ a sucker for a cute face. Will you ever learn?" This wasn't the first time Sakura fell victim to a man who looked far prettier than he should (her friend Sasuke could attest to that), and it was only second nature for her to bat her eyelashes and play around a little with unsuspecting Sasori. But flirting with someone whom she was trying to make some sort of business transaction with was generally frowned upon, right? Sakura tried to convince herself that she acted so overly friendly because he was far too shy, chalking it up to an attempt to alleviate the tenseness of meeting someone new.

Sakura knew that was just bullshit.

Grumbling, she finally managed to shove the covers off her small frame and wiggle her way to the edge of the bed, throwing her legs over the side before rising. Her hair was a complete mess, she saw as she caught her reflection in the vanity mirror across from her. Knowing it would take forever to untangle her long locks was enough motivation to get her moving. Getting up and grabbing some clothes, she padded her way into the hallway until she settled herself in the bathroom. Annoyingly, she was still very red in the face when she peered into the mirror, and the stark blush was made only more apparent by the gross fluorescent lighting. Sakura huffed.

What was bad about the situation, she reflected as she turned the shower on, was that she didn't exactly feel guilty for the way she acted. How could she? His reactions to her winking and teasing looks were just, well, adorable. His irritated disposition wasn't enough to deter her either; he may have found her assertiveness annoying, but Sakura was a natural flirt, and for what ever reason, she was drawn to this enigmatic man and and no reservations on letting him know about it. It wasn't as if anything would come by it, she assured herself. Harmless fun is what it was, and boy did she need some more fun in her life.

Under the hot spray of the shower, Sakura was able to relax for a wonderful ten minutes as the beating of the water worked out the kinks in her knotted muscles. It's been a while since she let loose; her medical studies meant she spent half her day studying and the other half taking notes to prepare for studying. Yesterday at the diner was the first time she felt like she was having a good time, even if it was at the expense of another poor soul. That sudden thought of Sasori, with his wide stares and alarmed looks directed at her, made her giggle. Yes, he was indeed very fun to be around, whether she was listening to him explain his craft or watching the charming blush rise to his cheeks. It made her a little sad to think that he was friends with Itachi and his gang, yet she never had the chance to see him before. He was obviously the loner type, as Ino had said. Shame. She would have liked to get to know him more, if only for the opportunity to set off those cute, shy reactions he had around her.

The water began to get cold, Shizune wouldn't like that very much, so she turned the faucet off and stepped out into the nippy air. Wrapping a fluffy towel around her, she glanced at herself in the mirror and bright smile bloomed on her features.

More than one good thing would come out of this little meeting at the coffee shop. Not only would she be getting her new sister the best, unique gift one could get for a little girl, Sakura would have ample opportunity to flirt with a very pretty looking man.

_I only hope that it doesn't ruin my chance to work with him_, Sakura thought.

* * *

Running a comb through her still-wet hair, Sakura wandered out into the kitchen, a smile dancing on her lips.

"Good morning, Sakura," Shizune said cheerfully from where she stood by the stove, chopping onions for omelettes. "There's coffee in the pot."

As Sakura began fixing herself a cup of coffee, she glanced over to the figure slumped over the table with a newspaper draped over her head.

"Don't mind her, she had a late night in the ER," Shizune said gently as she handed Sakura a plate heaped with a heavily-stuffed omelette, sausages, and a few slices of orange.

"Thanks, Shizune," Sakura said appreciatively, popping one of the sausages into her mouth as she walked over to the table and sat opposite her mother's sleeping form, immediately digging into the hearty omelette. "Morning!"

Her mother groaned incomprehensibly from beneath the newspaper and clamped her hands over it, as if to shield herself from daylight with the thin sheets.

"I wouldn't try to get a response from her," Shizune cautioned as she slid an omelette onto another plate and walked over to the table, seating herself and digging in, "She just might bite your head off."

Sakura giggled, ignoring the growl from across the table. "Oh Shizune, you think I wouldn't know my own mother?" Taking a bite of the mess of egg, cheese and vegetables, she beamed up at the brown-haired woman. "Great as always. Why aren't you a professional cook again? You could totally out-cook the best chefs in Hell's Kitchen."

Shizune threw a pointed look at her mother's sleeping form. "Because I'm a school nurse, not a chef. Besides. Who would bother waking this one up in the morning? Certainly not you."

"I like living," Sakura stated.

Clearly tired of being the butt of their jokes, her mom slammed a fist on the table, inducing immediate quiet. After a while she raised the paper before her from her head, reaching to the side and clasping the mug of the cup of coffee that sat beside her, pulling it behind the newspaper and taking a calm, satisfied sip.

"Are we awake now?" Sakura asked the newspaper playfully after a few minutes of munching on her omelette. She received an annoyed, "Yeah, sure," in response. Sakura smiled slightly as she reached over and plucked the funnies from where they had been discarded alongside various ads and coupons, and began paging through them as she finished off her breakfast. The minutes passed in comfortable silence, broken only by the clinking of dishes by the sink as Shizune moved to clean up the remnants of her own breakfast and her mother's.

Finishing her omelette, she dumped the orange peels into the trash bin and hip-checked Shizune aside, beginning to wash her own plate. Shizune laughed and poured herself her own cup of coffee before stealing Sakura's former seat, leaving Sakura to finish up her own dishes.

Glancing over to the clock as she put the dishes on the rack to dry, her eyes widened a bit as she realized more time than she had intended had passed. Sakura dashed from the kitchen, hastily tracking down her shoes and bag, digging through its contents to make sure everything she needed was present, and then pausing a moment to drag the comb through her hair once more and pop a barette into one side to hold it out of her face before stumbling into her shoes on the way out the door, hopping a bit as she pulled the last one over her foot.

"Seeya later, have a good day," she called back as she ran past the two women, receiving a smile from Shizune and a grunt from her mom before she closed the door and hopped into the elevator, picking through her bag one more time to make sure she had the textbooks she needed.

Satisfied that she had everything required for the day, she stepped out of the elevator and made her way out into the garage, getting into her car and throwing her bag into the passenger seat before starting the engine.

She hoped she could still find parking by the time she got to the college campus. Getting a spot this early was akin to fighting in a battle-zone, and Sakura did not want to have a potentially amazing day ruined because she had to knock somebody out for not letting a lady park properly.

Putting on a determined 'ready-for-war' face, she pulled out of the garage and made her way towards campus.

* * *

The aspiring biochemist just couldn't believe her luck. All but skipping happily out of her lecture along with the many other relieved students, Sakura adjusted her bag so she could dig in for her car keys, only partly paying attention to her surrounds as she worked her way through the cramped halls of the university. In a very rare turn of events, the lecture had to be cut short because of some errand the professor had to run. She didn't understand what errand could be so important that a class had to be canceled halfway through, her teachers avoided missing class as if they were avoiding a deadly plague, but she didn't really care. A small break like this was just what she needed. Now there was only the concern of what Sakura could possibly do to kill time until 2 o'clock.

Finally slowing to an easy pace, heels clicking loudly on the sandstone floor, Sakura managed to locate her keys while not trampling over anyone in her mad, excited dash to her car. She exited the building through smudgy glass doors and debated. Hard.

To tell Ino, or not to tell Ino.

Reaching her honda, she scooted herself in the drivers seat and got situated before pulling her iPhone out from her bag. Well, she did have two hours of free time now that her class was cut short, and no doubt Ino wanted to know everything that transpired between herself and the doll maker. The blonde would find out that she set the commission up with Sasori eventually anyway, even if Sakura remained tight-lipped about it. Ino had a way of finding things out she had no business knowing. She supposed she could let her best friend gloat about how good her idea was just this once, though, if only so they could cut to the chase and talk about how cute this Sasori was. With that thought, she eagerly began texting her friend.

_Sakura: Hey, my class ended early, mind if I stop by the flower shop so we can talk for a little bit? I took your advice (shocker!) and met up with Akasuna no Sasori. You were right (another shocker), he is very handsome! Shy too. We talked a lil bit about the types of dolls he makes but I couldn't decide yet. I'm meeting up with him again around 2. Tell you more at the shop if you want to chill? Txt me back soon please! We need to talk girl things!_

Pressing the send button, she dropped the phone into the cup holder next to her while she waited for the response that was likely to resemble a herd of rhinos bombarding over a poor, tiny elk. Such was the consequence of girl talk.

Not having anything else to do, she flipped the visor down and peered into the small mirror. Sakura deduced that she looked quite fabulous today, if she did say so herself. She didn't even have to retouch her make-up, as it stayed on quite well. Over the summer she barely bothered with the heavy duty stuff like mascara due to the sweltering heat that would melt it right off her face. For that, she was very glad it was november. November meant cooler weather, and cooler weather obviously meant more chances to doll herself up with make-up in order to impress mysterious, red haired men.

Beep, be-beep!

"Must be Ino," Sakura figured as she popped the visor back into place and pulled out her cell phone once more.

_Ino: OMGS I KNO RITE? Toldya it was a good contact! No motel 6, right? ; )_

_Sakura: No, no motel 6, although the place he works at is in a really sketchy part of the city._

_Ino: Heh yea a little but you carry mace and kno judo right? So no big deal_

_Sakura: The fact that I'd have to worry about that sort of thing screams sketch._

_Ino: Well yea i guess. So howd it go?_

Sakura paused mid-text. How much did she really want to tell Ino?

_Sakura: Pretty good. He was kind of annoying at first but then I realized he was just super shy. It's kinda cute, he kept blushing a lot and fidgeting. We planned to meet again later today around 2._

_Sakura: I think he almost fainted when I winked at him on my way out._

_Ino: You WINKED at him? Wow, this is some unusual slutty behavior from you forehead_

_Sakura: Since when was winking considered slutty behavior?_

_Ino: Not the act of winking, but the results of said gesture that you were probably hoping for ; ) Damn girl, did I just find your sister a present and YOU a boyfriend all in one shot? Miracles!_

_Sakura: Yeah, real freakin funny. I'm not looking for a boyfriend, Pig! I just met him! He was just really cute and shy so I decided to play a little. I'm a girl. I can do that. Now stfu so I can drive, I'll seeya soon!_

_Ino: Ciao, forehead. Try not to wink at too many guys on the way over._

The petite pink haired girl threw her phone in the passengers seat, silently fuming. "That Ino," she muttered as she pulled out of the lot. As if she would be so coy to more than one piece of eye candy! She had her limits, thank you. Juggling boys was more Ino's style, anyway. Although, Sakura thought reluctantly, she could understand the eccentric blonde's enthusiasm for her daring and unexpected behavior towards Sasori, as it wasn't how she would normally act around strangers.

Well, unless she was drunk.

Pulling into the tiny parking space outside the Yamanaka Flower Shop proved to be nochallenge for Sakura, as she's done so many times before. Tightly gripping the steering wheel, she steeled herself for the onslaught of girl talk that was bound to come before shimmying out the car. She fed the meter with a handful of loose change, making sure to at least give enough to last for the next 2 hours. Last time she had a 'quick' chit chat with Ino, she lost all sense of time and wound up with quite a hefty ticket. That would not happen again, oh no!

The light aroma of fresh flowers and the earthy smell of dirt hit her senses as she pushed open the door to the shop. As always, she was greeted cheerfully by rows upon rows of colorful floral arrangements, ranging from pastel pinks to bright, tropical blues. Being that it was now the beginning of November, fall plants were the center pieces of the store; oranges, yellows, and deep reds bloomed, giving Sakura a warm, cozy feeling.

The moment she entered the shop, Ino slipped out from behind the table, rushing to flip the 'open' sign on the door to 'closed'.Turning, she rushed into the back room, where a few chairs lay scattered around a couple different tables heaped with freshly-cut flowers. Dropping into one of them and patting the nearest one, she leaned forward, hands on her knees. "So. Spill."

Sakura laughed. "I didn't know this was a store-closing worthy event, but alright. Should I start with the part where your directions to the McDonald's had me lost for over a half hour? Seriously, 'turn right at the blue house with the boarded up windows?' I must have seen ten of those in that part of town!"

The blonde sighed heavily, clearly exasperated. "I don't care about that. Tell me about Sasori! I knew you would think he was cute, I just can't believe you actually made a move on him like that."

"Hey now, I don't really think winking at someone is a 'move', and besides, it's not like anything's going to come out of it."

"You sound like you wouldn't mind if it did," Ino teased, smirking.

"Well, I wouldn't, really, but I'm not really looking for a relationship right now. But it was impossible not to, you know? He was just so serious, and things were a little tense because of it for a bit. He barely looked at me the whole time! I needed to lighten things up, and it seemed like the best idea at the time," Sakura explained, almost smiling at the memory of the previous evening.

Tapping her manicured nails against her leg, Ino looked to be in thought before grinning widely. "I have to say, I'm very proud, Sakura. This is by far the most adventurous thing you ever done to a man, you know, besides stealing Sasuke's underwe-"

"Don't talk about it!" she shrieked, effectively cutting the blonde off. Blushing furiously, Sakura hung her head. God, would anybody ever let that incident go?

"You want to act crazy and do crazy things, prepare to live with the consequences, forehead." Ino smirked, looking down at her haughtily. "Anyway, back onto more interesting matters than Sasuke's undergarments, you said he was tense? That sort of make sense, especially if he always shuts himself up in his apartment. Itachi told me that he was just shy when I asked about him."

Calming down, Sakura managed to reply, "Yeah, I figured as much. HE didn't seem to be too uptight with the waitress, though it's probably because he knew her for a while. Apparently he's a regular there." For whatever reason, the idea of someone being a regular at a rinky dink diner made her smile fondly. She missed the look of confusion her friend shot her.

"Wait, the waitress? I thought you two just had food from McDonalds?" Ino asked, eyebrows furrowed.

Blinking, she responded, "I don't think he could stand to be there for one more second, so he took me to the diner across the street so we could actually talk." Sakura didn't like the happy glint that suddenly shined from Ino's ice blue eyes.

"Oh my god!" Ino exclaimed, "It's like a date! Did you share a milkshake?" she inquired teasingly.

Expecting this sort of accusation from her friend, she shut her down with a very leveled, 'cut your bullshit' stare. "It was nothing like a date, let's be serious here."

"Let me have my fun, thank you. Okay, obviously it wasn't a date, but there is potential here-"

"Maybe, but it would be kind of unprofessional to start anything with someone I'm trying to make a business trasaction with."

"Coming from the girl who winked at him. I think we need to stop being fickle, don't you agree?"

Sakura slumped moodily in her chair, conceding defeat with a sigh. "Fickle. Right. I'v been going back and forth all night on this. I know it's probably not smart to be putting the moves on somebody I'm paying, because what if something were to happen between us and things go sour? He might not want to go through with making the doll for me anymore. But damn, Ino, it felt so nice to just let loose a little and have fun with him. So long as I keep it friendly it should be okay, right?" She looked at Ino pathetically, hoping hat she would have all the answers like she always does.

Ino simply shook her head unhelpfully. "It's not okay if you're going to be such a worry-wart about it, forehead. I don't see why you're going back and forth on this. It's not like you're planning starting something serious and marrying the guy, you just wanna flirt. So flirt!"

Sakura plucked a stray flower head from the floor, running her fingers over the petals. "I don't know if he'd want to start anything even if I did pursue it. I'm pretty sure I left a rather negative lasting impression when I first met him."

"...Go on."

Sagging forward, she rested her chin in her hands pitifully. "When I first got to the McDonalds, I went up to the cashier and said I was looking for someone. He kind of shot me down so I just sat around being hopeless until I finally worked up the courage to kind of yell at the cashier, demanding to speak to Sasori."

Ino grinned evilly. "The cashier was Sasori, wasn't it?"

"Obviously."

The blonde tutted. "These things only ever happen to you, I swear."

"Yeah, I guess they do," Sakura agreed vaguely, her mind on other things. A small smile curled at the corner of her lips. "But we went and got food and he told me about the dolls he makes. I guess your advice was good for once." Unexpectedly, Ino squealed.

"Oh god, you are so smitten it's not even funny! You really, really have to go for this, business be damned." Her best friend bounced in her seat excitedly, clearly overjoyed at the idea of Sakura liking someone.

"I'm thinking about it, to be honest, if only to have some more fun. You're right, 'business be damned!" They both laughed heartily together, Sakura only calming down enough to blurt out, "His hands, I wish you could see his hands! They look like they _belong_ to a wonderful artist, specially the way he uses them."

Ino snorted at the innuendo. "And how does he use them, Sa-ku-ra?"

"Not like that, god!" Sakura giggled behind her hands. "He sketched a little for me, that's all. It was a little hard to pay attention though, especially when he's talking and he's got such a quiet, intense voice. I bet Sasori doesn't even realize that he sounds like that."

Ino giggled. "So my advice was good then?"

"Yes, it was good," Sakura admitted, before adding slyly, "for once."

"My advice is always good," she sniffed, "it's simply...extenuating circumstances, that get in the way."

"Like the hobo."

Ino shrugged. "How was I supposed to know there was a hobo in the bathroom? I mean really? How often does that happen? Sheesh." Ino leaned forward, smirking that way she always did when she was about to expel some piece of gossip. "Apparently Itachi met Sasori through Deidara. They're sort-of friends. Met at some sort of convention back when Deidara was starting high school. Didn't see each other again for years, but then they ran into each other again when Deidara was trying to pick out a college and they started hanging out after that."

"Wow, it really is a small world. Can't imagine Sasori being tolerable of Deidara though," Sakura said absently. "But I thought you said you heard about him through Itachi?"

"Well really I've heard about him from a lot of people at different times, I've just never met him. And then you said you were looking for a gift for your little sister, and Itachi had mentioned that he was an artist, and well, it went from there."

"You're such a gossip," Sakura teased, and Ino preened a bit.

"I pride myself in knowing what's going on around me, thank you very much," she defended playfully. "But yeah, I was talking with Itachi and he said that Sasori was a dollmaker, and it just sounded perfect. That's how he and Deidara met, anyway, at some convention where he was showing his wares."

Sakura leaned back in her chair. "Wow, it really is a small world, isn't it. I can't imagine Sasori being tolerable of Deidara though," Sakura mused, "I mean, not that I know Sasori well enough to be able to say who he even finds tolerable, but Deidara is kind of..."

"Crazy?"

"Completely. He's like you if you ever became super eccentric about art instead of boys. Ten times as loud too."

"I would take offense to that," Ino said, picking at a stray splinter on the table, "Only this assessment is completely accurate. Except I resent the idea that anyone is louder than Ino Yamanaka."

"I don't know, Naruto could probably give you a run for your money," Sakura laughed. "I still find it odd that they could be friends. Sasori acts so much older than he looks, and he's so serious. Doesn't Deidara get annoyed with Itachi for the same reason? Not acting his age?"

Ino's lips curled in a peculiar grin.

"What?" Sakura asked, blinking.

"Sasori's actually going to be thirty in a few days, or so a little birdie told me. He only looks young."

Sakura's mouth dropped at that bomb, completely stupefied. "You're joking!

"Nope." Ino chirped.

"Seriously?"

"Yep."

"Oh my god," Sakura said, gaping in awe. "He looks maybe as old as I do, if not younger. Wow."

"Yeah, really. You sure know how to pick 'em forehead. A whole ten years older, he is. This must be a fetish of yours," The blond smirked. "Remember your crush on Kakashi? Then Itachi? You clearly like them older."

Stammering, Sakura replied, "I-I can't believe you brought them up! You're terrible, you know how mortified I was when Kakashi found out about that! Besides, this is different, seeing as how I had no idea Sasori was practically thirty!"

"True, "Ino nodded in agreement. "He still gets carded all the time whenever Deidara drags him out to drink, apparently. Guess I can't fault you there. So," Ino said slowly after a couple of seconds of enjoyable silence, "you said that the two of you were going to meet up again soon, huh?"

"Yes, around two."

"M-hmm." Ino nodded to herself. "Have I mentioned how nice you look today? I mean, that's one of the cutest skirts I've ever seen you wear, forehead," Ino teased. "And is that a hint of mascara I see there?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura said, feigning innocence. The blush that graced her cheeks were all too telling, however.

Ino laughed. "Totally smitten."

Punching her playfully in the arm, Sakura replied mirthfully,"It's all in good fun! I know I worry about the flirting, but there's nothing wrong with trying to impress him at least, right?"

"It_ is_ in good fun, Sakura. You shouldn't worry if it'll ruin your chances in getting that doll. One, you'll be paying Sasori, so I doubt he would refuse your money even if you were totally horrid. Two, you're cute! If he somehow finds your advances offensive, then shame on him! Three, you really need to to just stop worrying and have fun with it. It's been so long since you let loose and had fun because of your studies, and even longer since you were interested in someone. From what you're saying, he's a cute guy, and you know that's all the reason I personally need to pounce." Ino grinned wickedly, prompting a snort from Sakura. "So have at it. Flirt. Dress prettily. Impress him. Have some fucking fun already, you have been way uptight as of late."

"You're right," Sakura smiled appreciatively. Her best friend always seemed to know just what to say to make her feel better. Jokingly, she added, "You don't think I'm being a tramp for coming on to him too fast, right? I barely know the guy."

"Oh please, I slept with guys faster than this. Besides, Jack only knew Rose for a day and they fell in love at first sight."

"Woah, slow down there," Sakura said, holding up her hands. "This isn't some sappy love story going on. This is pure attraction, thank you very much."

"What-ev-er you say, forehead," Ino sang, practically dancing out of her chair and plucking a discarded daisy from a pile of flowers, before hurrying over and neatly tucking it behind Sakura's ear. "Now go kick ass and take names and all that. And call me later and tell me how it goes, kay?"

Sakura laughed and swatted Ino's hands away from her hair. "I'll be fine, Ino, now go open the shop before you start losing customers. I'll text you later."

"Got it!" Ino said cheerfully, flipping the 'closed' sign back to 'open' as Sakura walked out the front door. "Seeya later, Sakura!"

Smiling as she turned the corner and leaned against the brick wall of the storefront next to the window display, Sakura pulled out her phone and began scanning through her contacts for Sasori's number, taking her time and simply enjoying the surprisingly comfortable lull of continual noise of the city street around her. Two elderly men stood on a stoop a few feet away before the whitewashed building next to the flower shop, chatting amicably with a chess board set between them on a small folding table. Across the street, a street vendor exchanged cash for a bag of oranges with a small woman wearing a flower-print sweater and a floppy straw hat. The occasional car sped past, but aside from that there was little interruption to the calmness of a fall afternoon.

Finding the number she was looking for, she pressed 'call' and held the phone to her ear, waiting.

* * *

A/N: We hope you enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully we will have another one up within the next week or two!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: And here's a new chapter, twice as long as normal and ready for your enjoyment! Next one should be up in a bit.

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto.

* * *

In Which Sasori Has An Arguably Good Day

Sasori tossed the shirt of his McDonald's uniform to the floor, not really caring where it landed as he shut and locked the door behind him. Stretching tiredly and cracking his neck, he seated himself at the single worktable that wasn't buried beneath sheets of doll schematics and old drawings.

For a moment, he simply rested his head on the table, reveling in the coolness of the wood against his cheek after working for hours in the oppressive heat of the kitchen. He probably smelled like hot, greasy oil and fries, after picking up a second shift barely an hour after he parted ways with the girl. The smell of the restaurant had a nasty inclination to seep into everything that passed through its doors and stayed for more than an hour.

After some minutes, he raised his head from its semi-comfortable position on the table and reached for a folder sitting at its corner. Pulling it to him, alongside the box of photographs that lay beside it, he began listlessly flipping through the many images and picking out those he deemed satisfactory. Thus began the long, arduous process of reworking his portfolio to fit the desires of his latest client, who unfortunately had no idea what she wanted.

Keeping his thoughts below the surface was easy enough; his task was repetitive to the point where he could have fallen asleep (surely, not sleeping in nearly two days was also responsible). Sasori would sift through the photographs of his dolls from one pile, deem which ones were appropriate for a little girl, a very vague description to go by much to his annoyance, and file it away in his portfolio. Lather, rinse, repeat. All was fine and appropriately mind numbing until he came across a photo of one of his earlier works, a fairy doll with long, pink hair. Amber eyes narrowed as he tossed that particular picture on the bed next to him. Sasori would have to see enough of that woman later on in the day, he didn't need to be thinking about her while he was trying to work.

Finishing his task in silence, he glanced over to the clock. 2:32 AM. Lovely. Sighing heavily, he dragged his hand over his eyes and collapsed back in his chair. He should probably eat, but he found himself particularly lacking the motivation or energy to get up and fix himself something from the small kitchen of his studio apartment.

Leaning forward and pushing himself up to stand, he momentarily held very still as a sudden wave of vertigo swept over him, and he fought back the urge to sit down again and close his eyes. When was the last time he ate something substantial? Thinking back, he realized he couldn't really remember.

_I really should eat something_, Sasori thought. Dragging himself into the kitchen, he opened the fridge to discover little more than a half-empty egg carton, a plastic container of old rice, and a carton of milk that had probably long-since passed its expiration date. Growling to himself, he grabbed the egg carton, turning on the stove and expertly cracking three eggs into the frying pan. Soon enough he was sitting on the mattress in the opposite corner of the room, tiredly repeating the bowl-to-mouth motion with his fork as he shoveled rice and eggs past his lips. Feeling a bit more energized after eating, he sat up properly, grabbed his sketchbook, and began to draw. Even without that steady stream of commissions he always hope for but never got, Sasori refused to be out of practice, and he would never not be doing what he loved just because it made him virtually no money. Already having an idea in mind for another doll, his pencil glided over the paper in small, sure strokes until he lost all sense of time.

Sasori couldn't recall exactly when he nodded off, but he knew it was well after the sun rose because by the time he'd finished his first drawing, he was working more by the sunlight from his window than from the adjustable lamp clamped to the table beside his mattress. He lifted a cramped hand and rubbed at his eyes, very blurry and heavy from too little sleep. Just as he was beginning to wonder exactly what time it was, his phone went off in his pocket. Momentarily panicking, he dug into his jeans and fished out the vibrating phone before slipping it open. "Yeah?"

"Is this Sasori?" A feminine voice piped up over the other line. He took that time to chance a look at his beside clock.

1:30 PM

"Shit," he swore under his breath.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing," he said quickly. "Sakura Haruno, right?"

"Yes, I'm about to head over to that coffee place now if you're still up for it?"

"I'll be there." He couldn't afford not to.

"Oh, good! Hey, are you alright? You sound kind of tired," she asked, sounding worried. Why in the world would she be worried?

"I'm fine," he answered, frustrated. Sasori didn't feel very fine after only getting a grand total of three hours of rest. "I'll see you soon." Hearing her almost grossly-cheerful 'bye-bye!', he hung up his phone.

Glancing sleepily to the digital clock sitting beside the lamp one last time just to reassure himself that it was in fact 1:30 PM, he ran a hand through his hair and forced himself to get out of bed. It was almost one in the afternoon, and he really needed to get up so he could make it to the meeting on time. He would hate to make this girl wait, when she seemed genuinely interested in a commission rather than just curious about his work. Besides, he needed the money. The shitty hours McDonald's was giving him weren't really enough to pay rent and afford materials, and if he was going to make a doll for this girl he'd have to talk her into paying up-front.

Having dragged himself out of bed, Sasori soon found himself standing tiredly in front of the mirror hanging beside the door, giving it a dead-eyed stare and internally cringing at his appearance. Dark splotches ringed his eyes from many sleepless nights, and shirtless, he looked far too thin to be healthy. He could just about see his ribs poking through taut skin, which wasn't a good sign at all. Silently, he promised himself to try and eat more regularly, though he knew he probably wouldn't. Walking to his closet, he fished out one of the pairs of jeans that had fewer paint stains than the others, and a rather bland, lumpy brown hoodie that had been a gift from Konan last Christmas. After a quick shower and a loose comb-through of his hair with his fingers, he looked somewhat more presentable than before. Pausing a moment to tuck his undershirt in so it wasn't hanging over his belt (and he could remember a time when these pants fit without a belt), he pulled on his boots, beanie, and the coat he'd 'borrowed' from Deidara. The blonde had never asked him to return it, and when he'd tried he found it back in his apartment two nights later.

Shrugging into the oversized coat, though he knew it was probably not quite cold enough out yet to warrant it, he returned to his worktable to grab the folder, pausing momentarily as he slid it into his bag to look at the opposite wall, considering. A single shelf stretched the length of the wall, decorated with dolls of various sizes. Some hung from hooks on the wall, naked with all their carefully-crafted joints on display. Others were neat, their miniaturized clothing tailored to fit them perfectly and shield their false bodies from view. A table with a sewing machine and various fabrics sat below the shelf, untouched.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he regarded the wall in speculative silence before stepping forward and dragging a chair up, gently taking one of the wood-crafted dolls down from the shelf and cradling it in one arm. Pausing to grab a swath of fabric from the sewing table, he wrapped it carefully around the doll and held it in one arm like it was made of glass, pausing momentarily to grab his keys before closing and locking the door behind him.

* * *

Sasori buried his free hand in his pocket as he met with the chilled November air. The sky hung over the city heights, its dull gray pallor seemingly sucking any color and life out of all that lay below. Distantly, he wondered how many days it would be before the first snow. Pulling his coat a bit tighter, he stepped down to the sidewalk and began making his way to the subway stop, the doll cradled like a swaddled infant in one arm.

He hated the cold, and the subway station wasn't much warmer. The light chill seemed to seep through his sweater and burrow beneath his skin, freezing him internally. Numbness spread through his insides, and for one long moment the absence of feeling was so painful he could barely breathe. Sasori huddled in on himself where he sat on the unforgiving plastic bench. Six stops later the subway was crowded, and he found himself inching into the corner away from all who stood near him. He hated the subway with a blind passion for just this very reason. Then again, at least the roiling mass of bodies crushing into one another as they all vied for space meant that the car was warmer. Shrugging out of his jacket, he wrapped it into a bundle around his covered doll, and just in time as a rather overweight man decided he was going to seat himself directly beside Sasori, crushing him into the wall of the car. Hissing under his breath, Sasori lifted himself from the seat and contented himself with making his body as small as possible against the wall of the subway car until half of its occupants poured out at the Konoha University stop, carrying Sasori along with them.

Separating himself from the crowd of chattering students, he leaned heavily against the wall of the subway station, sliding down to sit on the pavement as he recovered, breathing heavily. This girl better appreciate all the trouble he was going through to make a gift for her little sister. Carefully, he unwrapped his coat and the bit of cloth from the doll, revealing that it was unharmed despite the jostling of other subway passengers.

Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back against the wall. He better not be late. He was going to be so angry with himself if he was late to meet that girl with the ridiculous pink hair. He hadn't commented on it when he'd seen her last, but he was almost positive it hadn't been a dye-job. It flowed too naturally as it fell in loose waves about her shoulders, and the color was just the right pale pastel to be a believable shade of strawberry-blonde. His lips curled upward slightly, and he almost laughed aloud at the absurdity of it. Here he was, sitting against the wall of the subway station and gaining pitying looks from passerby, and he was thinking about how pretty a girl's hair was. He bet if he had a cup out someone would have dropped money in it by now. Yes, Sasori was indeed at an all-time low.

This commission had to go through. It just had to.

Hoisting himself up from the grimy subway floor, he dusted himself off haphazardly and made his way up the stairs and out onto the streets, greeted with the sight of the main campus building of Konoha University, standing in pristine condition on the opposite side of the street as students milled about before it, moving to and from classes. Glancing to the street sign on the corner, he began making his way toward the coffee shop.

The thought only occurred to him now, but Sasori suddenly felt very unsure if he chose to right place for him and Haruno to meet up. Did people normally have reservations with meeting strangers in a small, unknown coffee shops with an alleyway entrance? He hoped she wasn't put off by it. It really was a nice place once you got inside, shady entrance or no. Still, it might not leave a good impression on the client, even if the client was an eccentric girl who yapped too much and had no problem flirting with older men. Even more beaten down now by this possibility, his shoulders slumped, effectively giving him the posture of a poor fellow with the weight of the world on his shoulders as he trudged on.

Well, if anything good happened so far today, it was that he managed to make it on time. Sasori hoped the girl was already waiting there. He hated waiting, as he lacked the patience to do so. Well, he would find out soon enough anyway. Turning the corner, he finally reached the street of his destination and hurried his pace, though he didn't make it that much farther as he crushed himself into some unseen force, nearly knocking the wind out of him.

He almost dropped the doll, struggling to keep his hold on it and thankfully succeeding, uprighting it and holding it tightly to his chest. "Watch where you're going, you..." He petered off, catching sight of the shocked girl as she pulled herself back up, pink hair falling loosely in her face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into you," Sakura babbled, proceeding to brush him off worriedly. "I'm sorry, I was in a rush and didn't see you-"

"Miss Haruno," Sasori interrupted, and she looked up, catching sight of his face. Instantly, her green eyes brightened.

"Oh! Fancy running into you!" She greeted, giggling at her lame pun. His lips tugged up at one corner.

"Literally," he said flatly.

"Yeah, sorry about that. You're not hurt are you?" She gave him a once over, eyes roaming over his body in what looked to be a very clinical manner. It still made him uncomfortable though, as the way she looked at him before not-so-clinically during their meeting at the diner was still fresh in his mind.

"I'm alright," he said, his voice stiff. "You?"

Sakura waved off his own concern. "Oh please, a tank couldn't hurt this girl."

"Alright," Sasori agreed, adjusting his hold on the bundle in his arms and making his way down the street, Sakura at his side.

"I've been walking around for a bit, but I couldn't find the place."

"What about the directions I gave?"

"I followed them, but I didn't see it anywhere," Sakura said, pouting.

"So you got lost," he concluded, not at all surprised.

"I...yes, I got lost," Sakura agreed sullenly.

"Understandable," Sasori acquiesced, coming to a stop before an open alleyway.

"Uh, down here?" she asked, her pace becoming noticeable slower. Sighing, Sasori turned to her.

"The place is here because the owners couldn't afford to rent a place anywhere else. That's all," he said reassuringly. He hoped he sounded assuring at least, because even he didn't miss the slight bite to his words. Really, this girl had to be upper class, or never got out a day in her life in order to be scared of an alley. It wasn't even that dirty, he observed. There were a few pieces of trash here and there that littered the pavement, and the rusted dumpster resting against the one side of the brick wall certainly didn't improve the scenery, but other than that it all looked harmless.

"I didn't mean to offend," Sakura said apologetically. "I was just surprised at first."

"Right," Sasori agreed, starting down the alleyway. "I brought a few photographs of some of my previous works for you to look through."

Sakura's eyes lit up at this, and she looked to immediately forgot all about her apprehension. "Really? I can't wait to see them!"

Sasori nodded, opening the door with a jangle of bells and slipping inside, holding it open for Sakura.

A blue-haired waitress looked up from taking two cups and empty plates from a vacated table. Her eyes widened at the sight of them. Quickly transferring the plates over to a countertop, she ushered them over and stopped short.

Directing a nervous smile towards Sasori, she seemed to want to hug him but held back, very aware of his desire for personal space. "Nagato and I were beginning to think you'd holed up in your apartment for the month," she accused, though her tone was light and teasing. "It's good to see you out and about, Sasori."

He hummed impatiently. "It's not as if I have many places I want to go, Konan." Shifting the doll uncomfortably (he could just_ feel_ Sakura's curious stare), he gravitated toward his favorite spot in the place; the corner. His temporary companion followed, and the two seated themselves on the wooden chairs at an elaborately carved table.

Konan followed the two, whipping out a notepad and pen before turning her attention to Sakura. "I've seen you before once... you're one of Sasuke's friends, right?"

With that question, recognition lit up on Sakura's face. "Oh, yes! You're Konan, right? You're with Itachi a lot."

A bright smile spread across the woman's face. "Yes, I'm Konan. I run this place, along with my friend Nagato and my husband, Yahiko."

Sasori shifted in his seat uncomfortably, the clear sense of instant friendship being developed before his eyes only adding to the growing loneliness that plagued him on a daily basis. He really needed to get out more, and made a mental note to call up Deidara soon. "I didn't know you knew the Uchiha brothers," he commented lightly.

Sakura gave a wide smile. "I've known Sasuke since we were in middle school."

"That's nice," Sasori said in a bland tone.

"Don't mind him," Konan whispered, "He's probably just cranky about having to get out of his apartment."

"I can hear you, you know," Sasori said pointedly, clasping his hands on the table's surface.

"Of course you can," Konan replied, waving dismissively. "Why are you here together, anyway?" It seemed then that the implications of being together automatically meant _together_, because just as she said this her brows shot up as she asked in wonderment, "Are you both on a date?"

His breath died in his lungs.

Sakura blushed prettily. "No! It isn't like that. I was hoping to arrange a commission for one of his dolls."

Konan had the gall to look disappointed, and Sasori felt the need to remind her to stay out of his love life, or lack there of.

"Oh, well I suppose that makes more sense. But this is so great for you, Sasori. I hope things go well with the doll. Now, what can I get you both?" She flipped open her small notepad and pressed the pen o the paper, waiting.

"Espresso. Double-shot," Sasori said, resting his face in his hand. Three hours of sleep was not enough, as much as he wished he didn't require it.

"Do you have anything pumpkin flavored?" Sakura asked with a child's hope in her eyes.

Konan nodded. "I'm guessing the pumpkin spice latte is what you want?"

"Yes, please!"

"Coming right up," Konan said as she penned it to her notepad. "Be back in a moment."

Carefully setting the doll aside on the table, propped up against the wall within her wrappings, Sasori laid his head down on his arms, eyes closed.

Sakura peered at him curiously as she sat down. "Are you alright?"

"No questions until coffee," Sasori stated, dropping his head back down and rolling it away from the light of the table lamp.

"You look like you're about to fall asleep," Sakura noted.

Rolling his eyes up so he didn't have to physically turn his head, he saw her rest her hands casually on the table and looking down at him thoughtfully. Too thoughtfully.

"I was up late," he explained, waving his hand in dismissal as he closed his eyes.

"We could have changed the day if you were that tired," she said, sounding concerned.

"No, no, it's fine," he yawned, "this is normal."

"Normal for Sasori is staying up until sunrise and falling asleep while he works," Konan chided when she returned from the back room, tapping Sasori's head lightly as she set the espresso shot before him. He winced and glared up at her.

"Any chance you can turn off the lights in here?"

"No," Konan said benignly, "You're not our only customer after all."

"The place is completely empty, what would it matter?" Sasori grumbled.

"Just do your business so you can go home and go to bed," his friend commanded before returning to her place behind the counter, hastily preparing Sakura's order. He would have been immediately rubbed the wrong way if anyone dare tell him what to do, but Sasori had known Konan for years, and knew that it was in her nature to be motherly, as much as it annoyed him.

"Whatever," he muttered, downing his espresso like somebody who just found a pot of water in the desert.

Sakura eyed him worriedly from across the table, though she hid it rather poorly. Sighing, Sasori leaned back in his chair, fighting his exhaustion as the caffeine rushed through his system. He couldn't lose this deal; he needed that money and he needed it now. Fishing about in his bag, he pulled out the binder and pushed it across the table to her. The pink-haired girl looked at it curiously as she reached out and took it, then glanced back to him.

"Sample photos," he said in weak explanation.

Her eyes brightened with excitement, and seeing such energy on her face made Sasori feel old and tired. Well, much more tired than usual. He watched as Sakura gingerly opened the binder, as if it were some old, delicate text. A girlish gasp escaped her, followed by a reverent, "Oh, wow."

Sasori blushed lightly. "I guess you like them then."

"Are you kidding, these are way more than I was expecting!" Sakura exclaimed, flipping through the pages of the binder and pausing over each new photograph. "These are absolutely beautiful."

Sasori felt the tips of his ears heat as he blushed darker. "That's good then."

He could have cursed himself for acting like such an awkward teenager, because something in his voice must have alerted Sakura to his plight. She looked up from the binder directly at him, blinking at first, before her lips curved into a knowing smile. "Very good," she agreed.

Sasori did curse himself inwardly then, for having to deal with such a minx for his next paycheck as her gaze slowly lowered once more to the binder. Muttering to himself about crazy women, he began unwrapping his coat from the precious cargo he'd carefully carted from his apartment, peeling away the scrap cloth with gentle hands to reveal a small painted figure of a girl, dressed in white silk and finery with a golden hairpiece decorating long blond locks. Wide, glassy brown eyes stared back at him sightlessly as he seated her on the edge of the table, adjusting her legs to hang loosely over the edge. Pausing momentarily, he brushed her hair back from her shoulders, the motion accompanied by the soft whisper of his fingers over the lacy collar about her neck.

He didn't know how she would react to seeing the real thing, but watching her as her eyes roamed over the doll lovingly was quite a site to behold. Sasori shifted in his chair and frowned, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable with this thought.

"Can I?" Sakura asked, gesturing towards the doll.

"You can, if you want." Her head jerked upward sharply at this, green eyes reflecting the soft light of the table lamp.. "I mean...just, be careful with it," he added awkwardly. She reached across the table, gingerly lifting the wooden figure from her perch to cradle her in her arms. She was much heavier than she looked; definitely not the type to play around with carelessly, and he could see that Sakura realized this immediately. "Barbie's got nothing on this," she said, admiring the fine details.

Konan came back and set down Sakura's latte delicately, staring at the doll. "This is wonderful, Sasori. Funny, it's been ages since I last saw your work."

Sakura held the doll as if it would crumble in her hands if she made a wrong move. "You made all of this?"

"Yes," Sasori said simply, leaning forward slightly over the table. "This one is carved from wood and hand-painted. She has adjustable ball-joints, and her torso can also be bent, like this," he explained, reaching over and carefully twisting the doll upward until her torso bent, hands placed in her lap to look up at Sakura. "The hair is real as well, and a bit delicate. I prefer it to the synthetic hair though, that tangles a lot easier."

"This is definitely what I want. It would be perfect for someone her age." Sakura smiled, looking all too like a kid herself as she fiddled with the lace of the dress and delicate locks of hair.

Sasori cleared his throat. "Do you want to know the cost?" he asked, feeling a lump form in his throat, heart beating rapidly.

"I'm assuming it would only be a rough estimation, right?" she asked, not really paying attention to the hesitation in his voice.

Sasori nodded weakly, knowing most would balk at the price he was about to name. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Best to get it over with, like pulling off a bandaid. If she said no, then that was that. Dragging his finger around the lip of the shot cup, he named, "Two thousand six hundred. Half upfront."

"Hmm," Sakura hummed thoughtfully, "That sounds good to me." Smiling brightly, she rummaged through her bag and pulled out a checkbook.

Sasori stared at her openly, clearly shocked that she reacted so smoothly to his price suggestion. He simply nodded dumbly in response.

"So, half it is then!" she chirped, penning the amount on her floral print check as if she were writing a simple note to leave on the refrigerator.

Sasori was preparing himself mentally for one of the biggest let downs of his life, and was about to conclude this arrangement with either a hefty drop of the price or just say 'fuck it' all together, but he stopped short. Taken aback, and not at all sure he heard her right, he asked, "You're okay with that price?"

Sakura shrugged nonchalantly. "Yes, of course. I mean, it is pretty expensive, but the work is beautiful, and even as inept as I am with art and the like, I can tell this is very high quality. I was expecting it to be more, really."

"You were?" Sasori questioned, blinking owlishly.

Sakura seemed, only just then, to catch the expression on his face. She pushed the check gently into his hands and folded his fingers around it. "I'd pay you more if you asked for it, it's worth the money."

"It's not a problem, is it? The price, you can actually afford this?" Sasori stumbled, desperately trying to breathe and remember how to word his sentences in a way that didn't come off as rude.

"Of course," she said happily. "My job holds me over well enough, and my mom is helping me pay for half since it's suppose to be a gift from the both of us."

"Oh," Sasori said simply, a bit floored, his hands clenching around the check and drawing it back across the table as if afraid she'd reconsider. This was a lot of money to simply be handing over in such a way. Breathing out a puff of air he hadn't realized he'd been holding in, he pocketed the check and looked away, his shock slowly fading as it is replaced with the realization that he can afford to pay his rent and still have a couple hundred left over. He opened and closed his mouth a couple times before he focused enough to see Sakura gently running her fingers over the doll's hair as she cradled her in her arms, as if she was just as precious to her as the doll was to him.

"How can you possibly..." he paused, trying to work out just how she could hand over such a hefty amount of money as if it were pocket change, and realized Sakura was looking at him with concern once again. It occurred to him then, looking at her, that Sakura came from big money. Her clothes were all top-quality, despite being rather casual in choice, and he didn't see a cheapened brand name anywhere in sight. He continued awkwardly, his words short, "You should know I don't give refunds for people who change their mind. If you don't have an idea of what you'd like the doll to look like or any specifications, we can meet at another point in time when you're free."

"Well, I really think something like this is perfect. The dress is really cute, and the hair is lovely. The only differences I would want is in the color. Her favorite color is yellow, so that's something to keep in mind. Also, as corny as this sounds, I want the hair to match hers. She has very light auburn hair, so it'll look great if you're able to match it." Going through her bag once more, Sakura pulled out her wallet and slipped out a photograph. Handing it to him, she said, "This is a picture of her, if you want to try and capture her likeness. God, I hope this isn't too much. I really don't know if I'm asking for the right things."

Sasori took the picture from her and peered down at it. The child was cute, standing with a wide, gap-toothed grin alongside a middle-aged woman crouching down with her hands on the girl's shoulders, a cheery smile on her lips. His eyes widen considerably as he recognizes her from photographs he's seen in the newspaper. Distantly, he could remember his grandmother complaining about the woman. "That's Tsunade Senju." He says slowly, then glances back to Sakura. "She's your mother? I thought your last name was Haruno, and you look nothing alike."

Sakura grinned with pride. "I'm adopted."

"Ah." Well that explained it. Looking back to the photograph, he could easily match up the specifications for a doll to mimic the little girl's features. "It's no problem, I've done this before," he said absently, grabbing his binder and flipping past the many photographs of his works to where he had inserted some looseleaf. Clicking a mechanical pencil, he immediately began sketching the girl, imagining the facial structure from different angles, momentarily pausing here and there to take down notes on different color schemes as the plans for the new doll began to form.

"You came up with the idea very quickly," she said, awed. She continued to watch as he filled out the loose sketch with tighter details, making the picture slowly come to life. Sakura really had to hand it to Ino; she struck it big with this guy.

Sasori didn't respond, caught up in the flow of the drawing. Having finished loosely copying down the image of the little girl, he began drawing along the side of the page, quickly filling in measurements and schematics for the doll. As he went he made small notes all over the drawing in neat, careful script with long, looping curves to the tall letters, while the others were written in very small, scrunched format. Eventually, as Sasori lost himself in his work, Sakura began looking more closely at the doll in her arms. On the back of its neck, she could see a small rectangle where a minuscule red maker's mark had been painted, an image of a scorpion within the box.

"'Scorpion'," Sakura murmured, dragging her thumb over the small mark as she stared at the tiny red arachnid.

"Hm?" Sasori glanced up momentarily, pausing in his drawing.

Smiling, Sakura tapped the spot, where the scorpion was imprinted on the doll. "Scorpion. This is your logo then, I'm guessing? It is your name after all."

Sasori ducked his head and focused on the drawing again. "Yes."

Sakura set the doll down gently on the table and rested her arms on the flat surface, head cradled in her hands as she watched him. She seemed enraptured by the way his hands glided across the page as the doll's image came to life beneath his fingertips, created with the ease of many years of practice. After a couple minutes of watching intently, she declared suddenly, "It doesn't seem to suit you." When he looked up at her questioningly, she clarified, "Your name, I mean."

"Why not?" Sasori asked, hand pausing momentarily as he laid the pencil down upon the page.

Her eyebrows knitted together as she thought very carefully about her response, clearly not wishing to offend him. Finally, she began with some hesitancy, "I can't really claim to know you. We only met a few days ago, and to say your name doesn't suit you was kind of a rude assumption to make so quick, but from what little I do know of you, you seem..." she trailed off, searching for the right word. "Nice," she concluded lamely, "You seem like a nice guy, if a little reserved. And scorpions are dangerous. It just doesn't seem to fit you."

Sasori's lips curved downward and he didn't respond for some time, before eventually inclining his head. "I suppose you're right," he agreed awkwardly, tapping his fingers in a faint nervous rhythm as he leaned forward over the table, "So you think I'm nice?"

Sakura tilted her head to the side playfully, green eyes full of mirth. "Very first impressions of you aside, yes, you seem nice enough. I have to ask though, are you always so snappy with McDonalds customers?"

Sasori's face soured, and Sakura laughed at his obvious distaste. "A job is a job. I don't particularly enjoy it, but it pays the bills." Sakura giggled at him from behind her hand. "What? Could you say you enjoyed your work when you return home every night feeling like you're caked in a layer of grease and can't scrub the smell of fries from your skin?"

Grinning, she shook her head. "Can't say I would. Why don't you just quit then?" she asked curiously. "I'm sure you could find work somewhere else."

His face darkened slightly and he looked away, focusing instead on the sketch before him though he wasn't really looking at it. Konan wandered over and calmly took his finished cup of espresso away. "I could, I suppose," he said cryptically, giving no further response. Konan squeezed his shoulder lightly, giving him a small smile before she turned to take the cup back to the sink, automatically ignoring the way he flinched at her touch.

The girl's face fell as she sensed the sudden shift in his demeanor. She seemed to quickly understand that this conversation was broaching territory that was off-limits for some odd reason. She gave him a hesitant smile, but he didn't miss the way she leaned back in her chair, away from him. "I guess it's really not my business where you work, is it? Though I do sympathize a little. I work in Ino's flower shop part-time, which is infinitely better than burgers, but you'd be surprised how demanding people can be about floral arrangements!"

A sudden bitterness overwhelms him at the realization that he's made her nervous with his sharp response. "I'd expect it would be twice as unpleasant if you had allergies," he added, giving a weak, shaky smile in hopes that she'd be reassured. To his relief she cracked a smile; one that reached her eyes. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. That was far too close; too many times he'd scared people away, and he couldn't afford that now.

"Allergies would really make everything suck twice as much, I agree."

Eventually Konan seemed to gravitate over to their table once again, setting a plate of cookies between the two of them. "On the house. And if you want milk just let me know," she said with a small smile, though he could see the worry behind it when her gaze flicked over to him. "I made them the other day but you know Nagato, he doesn't really care for sweets, so don't you dare complain. They'd just be tossed otherwise."

Sasori muttered under his breath but took a cookie anyway, still absently sketching loose lines and making notes. Biting into it, he frowned. They were warm, fresh-baked.

"Thank you!" Sakura exclaimed, plucking a cookie from the plate and taking a sizable bite. The pink-haired girl must've found them to be good, if the way she ate two more in quick succession was any indication. She had quite the appetite for such a tiny woman, he mused. "So," she began, licking crumbs from her fingers, "how long have you been doing this? Making dolls, I mean."

"I started when I was..." he paused for a moment, thinking. "About five, I think. With paper dolls, because it was easier to find materials. My father was a toymaker. The profession was passed down through generations, to preserve the old techniques, although I've modernized my own considerably."

"Oh, that sounds really neat! It's really rare for anyone to keep to old-fashioned traditions like this. Has your father retired from making them?" It was such an innocent question, one Sasori couldn't blame her for asking, but it still struck an ugly chord inside him. He looked down at the drawing rather than at the girl, fists clenching unconsciously. "My parents died before I reached six years old. I was taught mostly by my grandmother in the years after that."

"Oh god," Sakura fretted, horrified. "I'm so sorry, that must have been... I am so sorry." She lowered her head, shamefaced. He didn't see why she would be ashamed though; it wasn't like she knew about his past.

"It's alright, it's not like you knew," he said hastily, "Don't worry about it."

"I know," she said softly, looking up at him, "I'm still sorry for bringing it up. That's very sad, and I can't imagine how horrible it must have been." Just when Sasori thought she was about to start doing something like crying (which would have been his cue to bolt out of there because he had no idea what the heck to do with a crying girl), she smiled brightly. "I bet he would be proud of you though. Your dolls are so beautiful, and I can tell you love what you do."

He blushed spectacularly, and leaned back in his chair. "Well..." He felt like he should do something, anything with his hands. Pushing the doll design aside and flipping the page, he began roughly sketching another, biting his lip nervously without really realizing it. "Yes, I do," he relented as Konan wandered back over and set two mugs on the table filled with milk to go with the remaining pile of cookies, removing Sakura's coffee mug in the process.

"He certainly does, sometimes he gets so caught up in his work that we don't see him for weeks at a time," she teased, poking his shoulder. He shot her a withering glare that though he tried to make look threatening, wasn't genuinely malicious. "You should come visit us more often, everyone's starting to miss your snarky self," Konan chided before turning on her way back to the counter.

When Sasori looked back to Sakura, she was grinning. "Snarky?"

He turned an even darker shade and looked away. "You've probably noticed by now I'm a bit uncomfortable around people I don't know well," he said, clearing his throat. It seemed tightened, constricted, and his breaths were shallow. "I'm not as bad around people I've known for a while."

"I've noticed," the girl said, giggling. "You know, you don't have to be uncomfortable around me. I'm as harmless as a kitten, well, unless you provoke her." And to his astonishment, she winked at him, again.

He felt like his face was going to burn off from how red he was getting. "It's not that simple, I'm not good with people," he said awkwardly. He never got that bad, but she just winked at him and was quite obviously flirting with him, and girls just didn't do that with him, not with his mean disposition. Sasori found that he didn't mind though. It was a refreshing change, and she was very pretty.

"You've been doing okay so far," she observed, resting her chin on her palm. Her green eyes watched him intently. It made him even more uncomfortable, if it were possible, but it wasn't the typical discomfort that came with the feeling of wanting to escape. She was different. Why was she different? Finally, she smiled, and her eyes twinkled with the amusement of it as if she'd just figured out a tough problem. "Anyway, how will this arrangement work out after we leave here today? Am I supposed to meet with you regularly to check your progress?"

Sasori was very tempted to tell her that regular meetings wouldn't be necessary, if only to free himself of the confusion he felt around her, but didn't he just resolve to not be such a recluse? And as much as the girl annoyed him with her obvious flirting, he enjoyed the attention too. He could do this. "If you want," he finally said. "Just call ahead."

Thankfully, his face no longer felt hot and he had begun to breathe almost normally again, though he found himself uncomfortably aware of each rise and fall of his lungs. Something about the way she looked at him came across... differently. Like she wasn't judging him, for all his troubles. It was a relief.

She blinked at him very slowly, allowing an impish smile to spread across her face. "I would like that very much."

A small smile curled on his lips, and he filled the ensuing silence as Sakura checked her phone and texts by grabbing a cookie and downing some of the milk. He knew Konan was giving him food on-purpose; he saw the way her eyes lingered on his torso, with how his sweater and jeans hung off his thin frame. Not that he minded, really.

"I have to go now," Sakura spoke up, and his gaze snapped back up to her to find her looking at him apologetically as she stuffed her phone back in her bag. "There's this test I'm having tomorrow, and I wanted to brush up a little on it. Can I see what you drew so far before I go?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," he said, pushing the couple sheets of looseleaf across to her, trading them for the wooden doll and gently smoothing down her hair before he slowly wrapped her in the cloth again. She took the paper, staring at the drawing almost lovingly. "This is perfect. I know I sound like a broken record, but thank you for this. You're a life saver." Sasori could say the same about her, thinking about the check crumpled in his pocket. Standing, Sakura arranged herself properly before walking around the table to him. "Will meeting up again next week, same time be alright?" He nodded, issuing a smile from her. She placed a hand on his shoulder then, and he almost jolted away, but not quite. Looking up, he was surprised to see her frowning. After a tense moment, she let him go. "Bye, then." With a cheery wave, she let herself out of the coffee house.

He let out a quiet sigh and rested his head on the table, covering it with his arms. The sound of the chair opposite him being pulled out once again as someone else took a seat almost made him lift it, but he didn't bother as he let the exhaustion wash over him in a heavy wave.

"That was pretty intense compared to your usual attitude with strangers," Konan murmured, her voice soothing as always. She always was one to step lightly around them; all of his friends had their problems, and Konan was very much the motherly figure of their group, looking after them in small, almost undetectable ways.

"Intense how?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well first off, she was flirting with you-" Sasori growled at this observation, as accurate as it was, but Konan ignored it and continued, "And second off, you were just as cozy right back, as awkward as you were about it."

"And?" he asked, trying to mask his tone with boredom.

Konan gave him a hard look and continued, "You rarely even talk normally to your friends, but suddenly this girl comes along and she has you tripping all over the place. If anyone else did that, you would be biting their head off. I'm just wondering what's different here." She paused thoughtfully, before giving him a warm smile. "It might be good for you. If anything, you'll be getting out of the house more to see her about the doll, and you'll be forced to actually interact with the world and enjoy life a little more. Maybe you'll start eating better, too. Don't think I haven't noticed how thin you are. It's tempting to go over your apartment myself and stock your fridge."

He grew serious at her mild threat. "You will do no such thing. I don't want your handouts." His voice broke no argument, and the blue haired waitress sighed, defeated. "It's not like I'm not eating on purpose," Sasori continued, "Money's hard. But this commission is going through, thankfully, so it won't be a problem for a while. As for Miss Haruno..." he swallowed thickly, "She was just enjoyable to talk to, that's all. Usually people act a certain way around me, but not her. It was a different experience."

"Yes," Konan nodded, obviously not believing him. "You keep telling yourself that."

"Now, look here Konan-" Sasori began angrily, but the door to the coffee shop opened with a clanging of bells, and Konan stood up, prepared to greet the customer.

"Welcome to-Yahiko! You're back!" Konan cried out as the ginger-haired man crossed the room in a few long strides and snatched her up in his arms, twirling her a bit. She shrieked as this almost resulted in the knocking over of a table.

"My lady love!" he crowed, before setting her down and planting a large, wet kiss on her lips. "Ooh, I missed you!"

Konan blushed sweetly. "I missed you too."

"I would've been back yesterday but the flight got delayed at the last second."

"You could have called."

"Well, about that."

"Did you break another phone?" Yahiko turned sheepish, and Konan smacked his shoulder lightly. "Go in back and take care of some of the dishes, and I'll forgive you." Before she could protest, Yahiko stole another kiss and headed into the kitchen area to do just that. Distantly, the call of 'hey, there's cookies back here!' reached them both.

Konan blushed a bit as she returned to the table, moving to sit back down, but Sasori stood up almost too quickly, grabbing his bag and the doll bundled under his arm.

"I think I'm heading out."

"Alright," Konan nodded, walking over and giving her friend a quick hug which he reluctantly allowed. "Make sure to get something when you get home, something healthy and not anything fried. I'll be checking in in a few days to make sure." He looked at her blankly in response. She knew he never liked being talked to as if he were a child needing to be taken care of, even though he may act a bit less than his age at times. When he didn't say anything against her, she seemed to take it as a good sign to keep going and try her luck. "And please, please try not to lock yourself away in your apartment for so long again. You have friends here, you know."

"Yeah, yeah," he agreed, waving it off as he hefted his bag, checking one last time that the doll was safely wrapped away from the elements before he began weaving his way between the round tables and chairs that dotted the floor of the coffee shop.

"Don't forget, everyone's getting together at Itachi's place on Friday! Deidara will drag you there if you refuse to come!" she called out to him, receiving a grunt and a wave of acknowledgement in reply as he slipped out the door.

* * *

The subway ride back was a quiet one, uninterrupted for the most part aside from a mother with a crying child on the opposite side of the car, and a couple of hipsters chatting in low tones by the door next to his seat. He curled up in his favored corner, drawing his legs up onto the plastic seat to claim the small two-person area for himself, resting the doll in his lap as he stared dully out the window opposite, watching the loose line of lights on the subway interior rush by through the darkness. The ride home was a lonely one, not that this fact was anything new, but the feeling was only scored deeper in his heart after leaving the coffee shop.

It had been a while since he'd been socially involved with anyone that he was actually able to tolerate (fellow McDonald's employees did not count), and he enjoyed the company, as unnecessary as Konan's nagging was. Sasori appreciated that she cared. Not many people did, but he would do whatever he could without help. He didn't need help. Surviving was something he was capable of at least, even if he wasn't necessarily good at it.

While he was pleased to see Yahiko and Konan again, and interacting with the outside world in general for the first time in a while, the same empty feeling that seemed to linger over him like a hazy miasma on a daily basis only grew more potent as soon as he left their establishment. It was always like that. He would lock himself away in his apartment, not caring that the loneliness picked away at him at a constant rate until finally he would have enough and decide to venture out. Being with other people was always a temporarily relief from the isolation he readily threw himself into, but it was nothing more than a quick fix. Just like now. The outing was pleasant enough, but seeing Yahiko and Konan together and obviously happy was quick to sour his mood, quick to remind him that he wasn't like normal people and that he would never be able to fully appreciate being with others without feeling like there was a hole in his chest. Nothing changed on that front, however...

He curled in upon himself a bit more, lifting the hood of his sweater to cover his head as he glared over the top of his knees at the offensively empty car. Why was it that he always felt alone in this city, when it was rarely the case? At times he wished he could pack up what little he owned and wander out into some forgotten part of the world, to set up shop away from the eyes of others where no one would ever bother him, where he wouldn't have to talk, wouldn't be haunted in his waking moments by voices from his past, or have to go back to the dreary life that was waiting for him as soon as he stepped off the subway car and walked up the stairs to his studio apartment. It had been one sweet little moment, one bright moment filled with a wide, cheery smile and flowing pink hair, a glow of joy sparkling in sea-green eyes as she held the doll in her hands as if it were a priceless artifact and she feared it would break with the smallest touch, handled with as much love and respect as he gave to any of his creations.

The girl was strange. She seemed genuinely interested in his craft and, if his mind was willing to go there, genuinely interested in him, too. His face scrunched up at this thought, as if the action would will the blush dusting his cheeks away. Sasori wasn't sure what to make of Miss Haruno, what with her winking and smiling and enjoyable conversation, except that she liked crossing certain boundaries that shouldn't be crossed.

When she touched his shoulder...what was that? He couldn't decide if she was openly flirting with him or messing with him just to get a rise, in which case he was inclined to tear up her check right there and screw the deal entirely. But no, she seemed to nice for that. It was also hard not to notice Konan staring at them from the back of the shop with far too much interest, as if they were some novel that just revealed a huge twist in the story.

The train ground to a halt once more, and he glanced up. Wycke station, five blocks from his apartment. Grunting a bit at the realization that his leg had fallen asleep while he'd been sitting there, he walked out of the car and slouched up the stairs, out onto the street. The clear day had been replaced with a low, overcast gray, and it looked like it had rained while he was on the train, judging by the darkening of the street and sidewalk, glistening with a thin sheen of water.

He shoved his free hand into his pocket as he meandered down the street, sliding out of the way of anyone walking in the opposite direction. A car went careening past, sending a wave of water in his direction from a deep puddle on the side of the road, and he turned sharply to shield his doll from the murky onslaught. Soaking wet and even more miserable than before, he stared blankly after the car for a moment, all sorts of curses and obscenities dancing about his head, willing him to shout, scream after the car, to just react somehow, but he couldn't. He just stood there, glancing down to assure that she had survived untouched within her packaging. Discovering the doll was as immaculate as ever, he drooped a bit as some of the stress left his shoulders.

Wringing out his sleeve as he reached the door to his apartment, he fumbled for his key, jamming it in the lock and dragging himself into the room with a trail of water behind him, uncaring. Flicking on the light, he replaced the doll on her display and made his way to the worktable, tossing off his soaked hoodie and undershirt as a loose, hazy idea for a new doll whispered between his ears.


End file.
